Railroad car coil restraint system

ABSTRACT

A transverse railroad coil car coil restraint apparatus or system which includes a plurality of coil restraints attachable to each trough in a transverse railroad coil car to reduce the sideways shifting of coils positioned in the troughs. In certain embodiments, the coil restraints are attached in each trough and extend across the transverse coil car. In other embodiments, the coil restraints are attached in each trough along the length of the trough. In certain embodiments, when a coil is positioned in the trough, the coil compresses certain of the coil restraints and does not compress other of the coil restraints which prevents the sideways shifting of the coil during movement of the transverse coil car. In other embodiments, when a coil is positioned in the trough, the coil compresses certain of the compression members and does not compress other of the compression members which prevents the sideways shifting of the coil during movement of the transverse coil car.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application is a continuation-in-part of, claims priority to, andthe benefit U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/098,544, filed Apr. 7,2008, which is a non-provisional of, claims priority to, and the benefitof U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/911,436, filed Apr.12, 2007, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND

Railroad cars such as freight railroad cars are used to transport avariety of products. Certain railroad cars are configured to transportrelatively large coils such as steel coils. These railroad cars areoften referred to in the railroad industry as transverse coil cars. Atypical transverse coil car is diagrammatically shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and3. The typical transverse coil car, generally indicated by numeral 20,includes five longitudinally aligned troughs or compartments 22 a, 22 b,22 c, 22 d, and 22 e which are each configured to respectively holdsteel coils 30 a, 30 b, 30 c, 30 d, and 30 e. The number of troughs mayvary in different transverse coil cars. Each of the troughs extendsacross or transversely to the length (and direction movement) of therailroad car. The troughs are positioned one after the other along thelength of the transverse coil car. Each trough typically has a floorincluding a bottom wall, a front wall, and a back wall, and spaced-apartside walls or sills. The front and back walls are angled or sloped. Eachtrough also typically has transversely extending coil supports such aswooden boards (not shown) respectively attached to the front wall and tothe back wall. For each trough, the front wall (with the boards) and theback wall (with the boards) of the trough are configured to support asteel coil and prevent the steel coil from moving forward or backward inthat trough.

The steel coils are loaded into each of the troughs of a transverse coilcar by a suitable crane (not shown). Each of the steel coils aretypically wrapped and banded in a conventional manner. The steel coilstypically weigh anywhere from approximately 4000 pounds to approximately60,000 pounds. The steel coils are typically approximately 30 inches toapproximately 84 inches wide. Each steel coil is placed in the troughwith a portion of its front surface engaging the boards attached to thefront wall and with a portion of its back surface engaging the boardsattached to the back wall. Different size steel coils engage the boardsat different positions. The steel coils may be different based on theirwidth, height or length. When the steel coils are loaded in a transversecoil car, they are preferably respectively centered in the troughs andequally distributed by weight in the troughs of the transverse coil car.

One problem which has arisen with these transverse coil cars is that thesteel coils tend to drift or shift from the central positions where theyare initially loaded in the respective troughs to one side or another inthe respective troughs during movement or travel of the transverse coilcars. One or more of the coils are also sometimes not placed exactly inthe central position in the trough which increases the likelihood ofthis sideways shifting. In some instances, as the trains move along thetracks, the coils develop the frequency of the movement of the trainwhich excites the coils and further increases this sideways movement.Because the steel coils are heavy relative to the transverse coil car,the drifting or shifting of the steel coils in the troughs orcompartments to one side of the transverse coil car can cause thetransverse coil cars to become inappropriately weighted or lopsided andin certain instances to tip over and derail the freight train. Aderailed train can cause extensive damage and injury, is disruptive, andis expensive and time consuming to remedy.

One proposed solution to this problem has been to use wooden blocks tobrace the bottoms of the steel coils to prevent them from movingsideways. More specifically, after a steel coil is positioned in thetrough, wooden blocks are cut to size and are secured to the deck (suchas the wooden boards) of the trough adjacent to each side of the steelcoil to prevent the steel coil from moving sideways in the trough. Thisis an extremely labor intensive, time-consuming and expensive process.Additionally, after the steel coil is removed, the blocks and thesecuring devices used to secure the blocks become waste or unwanteddunnage. These blocks often cannot be reused because different sizesteel coils are placed in the troughs. Additionally, the blocks oftencannot be reused because, even if the steel coil is of the same size asthe previous steel coil placed in the trough, it is not positioned inthe trough in exactly the same place as the previous steel coil. Thus,different size blocks must be used to prevent the shifting of the steelcoil and the previous blocks become useless.

Another problem with blocking the steel coils in this manner is thatpeople must enter the troughs to place the blocking in the troughs andto remove the blocking. These people can get hurt during these processes(especially since the front and back walls of the toughs are sloped).Railroads desire to avoid having people enter the troughs at all toavoid injuries.

Another proposed solution has been to place flat rubber mats in thetroughs attached to the boards of the front and back walls to provideadditional frictional engagement with the steel coils. Another similarproposed solution has been to place conveyor belts or conveyor beltmaterial in the trough to increase the frictional engagement with thesteel coil. These solutions have not solved the problem. Anotherproposed solution has been to angle or taper the side walls of thetrough. This proposed solution has not been employed and is unlikely towork.

Accordingly, there is a need for a relatively inexpensive, easy toinstall and an easily operable apparatus for preventing the transverseshifting of different size and differently positioned coils in thetroughs of transverse coil cars. There is also a need for such anapparatus that is reusable and that does not waste materials.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates in general to a railroad car coilrestraint system, and in particular to a transverse railroad coil carrestraint system for restraining sideways shifting of coils (such assteel coils, aluminum coils, and paper coils) in the troughs oftransverse railroad coil cars. These coils are sometimes called cannedgoods in the industry. The present disclosure solves the above problemsrelating to canned goods by providing a transverse railroad coil carcoil restraint apparatus or system which includes a plurality of coilrestraints attachable to or in each trough in a transverse railroad coilcar to reduce the sideways drifting or shifting of coils respectivelypositioned in the troughs. The coil restraints are also reusable and donot waste materials. The coil restraints are relatively inexpensive,easy to install, can be permanently installed, and operate automaticallyeach time a coil is placed in a trough, regardless of the size of thecoil and the position of the coil in the trough. The coil restraints areconfigured to engage sufficient portions of the sides of different sizeand differently positioned coils in the troughs of transverse coil carsto prevent the sideways shifting of the coils. The coil restraint systemof the present disclosure can be employed to restrain any coils orcanned goods in the troughs and are specifically suited for restrainingheavy steel coils in the troughs. The present disclosure is primarilydiscussed with respect to steel coils; however, it should be appreciatedthat the present disclosure is not limited to steel coils. The coilrestraint system of the present disclosure can also be employed forretaining the coils or other cylindrical objects in railroad cars aswell as in other forms of transportation, and in other containers.

In certain embodiments, the coil restraints of the present disclosureare suitably attached to the existing wooden boards (described above) ofeach trough of the transverse coil car. These coil restraints operateautomatically regardless of the size of the steel coil or the positionof the steel coil in the trough. In other embodiments, certain of theboards (described above) of each trough of the transverse coil car areremoved and replaced with modified boards having the coils restraints ofthe present disclosure attached thereto or mounted therein or thereto.These alternative coil restraints also operate automatically regardlessof the size of the coil or the position of the coil in the trough. Inother embodiments, the wooden boards are removed and the coil restraintsare attached to the underlying walls of the trough.

In certain embodiments, the coil restraints of the coil restraint systemare each attached in each trough along the length of the trough (i.e.,extending from front to back), and specifically to the front and backwalls of the trough. In other embodiments, the coil restraints of thepresent disclosure are attached in each trough and extend transverselyor across the trough. In either embodiment, the coil restraints arepreferably spaced apart (from side to side) from each other at desireddistances to account for different size and different positioned coils.In other embodiments, the coil restraints are spaced apart from front toback.

More specifically, in one embodiment, each coil restraint of the coilrestraint system includes an elongated top or coil engaging wall, anelongated base, bottom or mounting wall, and a plurality ofindependently flexible or crushable supports or compression membersconnected to and extending between the top and base walls. A pluralityof these coil restraints are attached to the boards of the front and/orback walls at spaced apart positions in relation to each other andextend lengthwise (i.e., along the direction of movement of the railroadcar) in each trough. When a coil is positioned in the trough, the coilengages the top walls of and compresses certain of the coil restraints(i.e., compresses the flexible compression members of certain of thecoil restraints underneath the coil) and does not compress other of thecoil restraints (i.e., does not compress other of the flexiblecompression members not underneath the coil). The non-compressedupstanding coil restraints directly adjacent to each side of the steelcoil are configured to sufficiently engage the sides of the coil toprevent the sideways shifting of the coil during movement of thetransverse coil car.

In another embodiment, each coil restraint includes a top wall and aplurality of independently biased compression members respectivelyextending through apertures in the top wall. A plurality of these coilrestraints are attached to the boards in the trough in spaced-apartrelation to each other. In one such embodiment, these coil restraintsare positioned transverse to or across the troughs in the transversecoil car. When a coil is positioned in the trough, the coil compressescertain of the compression members (i.e., the ones underneath the coil)and does not compress other of the compression members (i.e., the onesnot underneath the coil) of one or more of these coil restraints. Thenon-compressed compression members directly adjacent to each side of thecoil are configured to sufficiently engage each of the sides of the coilto prevent the sideways shifting of the coil during movement of thetransverse coil car.

In a further embodiment, each coil restraint of the coil restraintsystem includes an elongated top or coil engaging wall, an elongatedbase, bottom or mounting wall, and a plurality of independently flexibleor crushable supports or compression members connected to and extendingbetween the top and base walls. These coil restraints are configured toextend transversely (i.e., from side to side) along each of the frontand back walls. When a coil is positioned in the trough, the coilengages the top walls of and compresses certain of these coil restraints(i.e., compresses the flexible compression members of certain of thecoil restraints underneath the coil) and does not compress other of thecoil restraints (i.e., does not compress other of the flexiblecompression members not underneath the coil). The top walls of thenoncompressed areas of these coil restraints are configured tosufficiently engage the sides of the coil to prevent the sidewaysshifting of the coil during movement of the transverse coil car.

Additional features and advantages are described herein, and will beapparent from, the following Detailed Description and the figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic top view of a transverse coil railroad carhaving a plurality of troughs for transporting steel coils.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic side view of a transverse coil railroad carhaving a plurality of troughs for transporting steel coils, and havingone of the side walls broken away to show two of the coils sitting intwo of the adjacent troughs.

FIG. 3 is a somewhat enlarged diagrammatic fragmentary side view of atrough of a transverse coil railroad car and a steel coil sitting in thetrough.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a coil restraint of a coil restraintsystem of one embodiment of the present disclosure, and illustrating thecompression members all in extended or non-compressed positions.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the coil restraint of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a top view of the coil restraint of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is an end view of the coil restraint of FIG. 4.

FIGS. 8A, 8B, 8C, and 8D are different perspective views of a pluralityof the coil restraints of FIG. 4 positioned in a trough of a transverserailroad car prior to a steel coil being positioned in the trough.

FIG. 8E is an enlarged diagrammatic fragmentary side view of a trough ofa transverse coil railroad car and a coil sitting in the trough, andnon-compressed coil restraints of FIG. 4 adjacent to the sides of thecoil in the trough.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a coil restraint of a coil restraintsystem of another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a coil restraint of a coil restraintsystem of another embodiment the present disclosure.

FIG. 11 is a side view of the coil restraint of FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a plurality of the coil restraints ofFIG. 10 positioned in a trough of a transverse railroad car prior to acoil being positioned in the trough.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a coil restraint of a coil restraintsystem of another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a coil restraint of a coil restraintsystem of another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 15 is a top perspective view of a coil restraint of a coilrestraint system of another embodiment of the present disclosure, andillustrating the compression members all in extended or non-compressedpositions.

FIG. 16 is a top perspective view of the coil restraint of FIG. 15, andillustrating the compression members all in retracted or compressedpositions.

FIG. 17 is a fragmentary bottom perspective view of the coil restraintof FIG. 15, and illustrating the bottom side of individual compressionassemblies.

FIG. 18 is a fragmentary top perspective and cross-sectional view of thecoil restraint of FIG. 15, and illustrating one configuration of onecompression assembly including a compression member and a compressionmember pocket or compartment with the spring removed.

FIG. 19 is an enlarged fragmentary top perspective view of the coilrestraint of FIG. 15, and illustrating one configuration of onecompression assembly including a compression member in an extendedposition in a compression member compartment or pocket with the springremoved.

FIG. 20 is an enlarged fragmentary top perspective view of the coilrestraint of FIG. 15, and illustrating one configuration of onecompression assembly including a compression member in a non-extendedposition in a compression member compartment or pocket with the springremoved.

FIG. 21 is a top perspective view of a coil restraint of a coilrestraint system of another embodiment of the present disclosure, andillustrating multiple rows of compression members, some of which are inextended or non-compressed positions and some of which are in partiallynon-extended or compressed positions.

FIG. 22 is a top perspective view of a coil restraint of a coilrestraint system of another configuration of the present disclosure, andillustrating compression members all in extended or non-compressedpositions.

FIG. 23 is an enlarged fragmentary top perspective view of the coilrestraint of FIG. 22, and illustrating a configuration of onecompression assembly including a compression member, and a compressionmember compartment or pocket a partially compressed compression memberand with the spring removed.

FIG. 24 is a perspective view of a coil restraint of a coil restraintsystem of another embodiment the present disclosure.

FIG. 25 is a perspective view of a plurality of the coil restraints ofFIG. 24 positioned in a trough of a transverse railroad car prior to acoil being positioned in the trough.

FIG. 26 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a coil restraintof the coil restraint system of FIG. 24, illustrating the retaining orsecuring members.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to FIGS. 4 to 7, one embodiment of the coil restraint ofone coil restraint system of the present disclosure is illustrated andgenerally indicated by numeral 100. The coil restraint 100 includes anelongated top or coil engaging wall 102, an elongated bottom or mountingwall 104, and a plurality of independently compensable, depressible,flexible or crushable compression members or walls 106 a to 106 tintegrally attached to and extending between the top wall 102 and thebottom wall 104. In the illustrated embodiment, each of the compressionmembers 106 a to 106 t is formed with a crease to facilitate compressionof that member when the steel coil engages the top wall 102 of that coilrestraint 100. It should be appreciated that the compression memberscould be otherwise suitably configured for compression. The coilrestraint 100 may be made from any suitable rubber, plastic or compositematerial. Such materials include, for example a suitable EPDM rubber, asuitable blended SBR rubber, any other suitable rubber or plastic suchas a urethane, or injection molded TPR, TPE or TPU. The suitablematerial will provide the appropriate resiliency and flexibility.Depending on the length and material, each coil restraint of the variousembodiments disclosed herein may be compression molded or extruded.

In one embodiment, the coil restraint (when not compressed) isapproximately 2 inches high, although it should be appreciated that theheight may vary. In one embodiment, the top, bottom and compressionwalls are made in a desired length and cut into individual coilrestraints of desired widths. It should be appreciated that each coilrestraint may be of any suitable length as further discussed below, andthat multiple coil restraints may be employed in a line. The coilrestraint 100 may be made in any suitable lengths and sizes. The coilrestraints may be made in any other suitable manner.

It should be appreciated that the coil restraints 100 in this embodimentmay be respectively mounted onto the front and back walls in anysuitable manner. In one embodiment, each end of the bottom wall isformed or made with a suitable aperture (not shown) which facilitatesattachment of the coil restraint to the boards of the front and backwalls of the trough and specifically to the wooden boards in the trough.For example, self-tapping screws or bolts can be employed to secure thecoil restraints. In the illustrated embodiment, the bottom wall 104 islonger than the top wall 102 to facilitate easy access to the apertures(not shown) for attachment to the boards. More specifically, the bottomwall 104 includes two mounting members, sections or flaps 105 a and 105b (see FIG. 5) for mounting the coil restraint to the front or backwall. In another embodiment, the boards are eliminated and the coilrestraints are bonded or otherwise suitably attached to suitable plates(such as steel plates) attached to the front or back walls of thetrough, or suitable plates which form the front and back walls of thetrough.

In a further embodiment, a plurality of retainer bars or members (notshown in FIGS. 4 to 7) are used to secure the coil restraints in thetroughs. In one such embodiment, a first retainer member is placed overthe lower portions of the bottom walls of a plurality of aligned coilrestraints on one the front or back walls of the trough and a secondretainer is placed over the upper portions of the bottom walls of thoseplurality of restraints. The first and second retainers are eachsuitably secured to the wall of the trough and thus hold the coilrestraints in place. Thus, in this embodiment, the coil restraint systemincludes a plurality of coil restraints and the retainers. It should beappreciated that the retainers can be made of any suitable material. Itshould also be appreciated that the retainers can be covered or coatedwith a suitable material such as rubber to minimize potential damage tothe coils. It should also be appreciated that this type of coilrestraint securing apparatus limits the likelihood of the bottom wallstearing. It should further be appreciated that the size, shape andmaterials of the retainers can vary.

FIGS. 8A, 8B, 8C, and 8D generally show a plurality of coil restraints100 mounted in a trough 22 of a transverse coil car 20 and how each ofthe coil restraints which are part of a coil restraint system worktogether to secure a coil in a trough. The coil restraints 100 of thecoil restraint system are mounted along the length of the trough. Thecoil restraints are spaced apart approximately every 2 inches in thisillustrated embodiment of the coil restraint system. It should beappreciated that the coil restraints may be placed at any suitabledistances from each other based at least in part on the coils therailroad car will carry. Suitable fasteners (not shown in FIGS. 8A, 8B,8C, and 8D) are used to attach the ends of each coil restraint to theboards of the trough. FIGS. 8A, 8B, 8C, and 8D shows all of the coilrestraints in extended or non-compressed positions because no coil ispositioned in the trough 22. It should be appreciated that FIG. 8A showsthat the coil restraints regain their entire or substantially entireoriginal shape after the coil is removed. When a steel coil ispositioned in the trough 22, certain of the coil restraints of the coilrestraint system on both the front and back walls of the trough will becompressed by the steel coil and certain of the coil restraints oneither side of the steel coil will not be compressed. When the steelcoil is in the trough 22, the non-compressed coil restraints directlyadjacent to the respective sides of the steel coil as generallyillustrated in FIG. 8E are configured to engage the sides of the steelcoil to prevent the sideways shifting of the steel coil in the trough.It should be appreciated that while the coil restraints are shownattached to both of the front and back walls of the trough, that thecoil restraints may alternatively be attached to only one of thesewalls. It should also be appreciated that the coil restraints may bespaced differently than shown on each or both of the front and backwalls.

It should be appreciated that for steel coils of different sizes (andpractically different widths), the different size steel coils willcompress different ones of the coil restraints and the coil restraintsthat are not compressed and adjacent to the sides of the steel coil willbe the coil restraints that prevent sideways shifting of the steelcoils. It should also be appreciated that for steel coils placed indifferent locations in the trough, the steel coils will compressdifferent ones of the coil restraints of the coil restraint system, andthe coil restraints that are not compressed and adjacent to the sides ofthe steel coil will be the coil restraints that prevent sidewaysshifting of the steel coils. It should thus be appreciated that the coilrestraint system of the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 4 to 8E isconfigured to engage the sides of different size and differentlypositioned coils in the troughs of transverse coil cars to prevent thesideways shifting of the steel coils.

FIG. 9 illustrates a coil restraint of the coil restraint system of analternative embodiment of the present disclosure, which is generallyindicated by numeral 150. The coil restraint 150 includes an elongatedtop wall 152, an elongated bottom wall 154, and a plurality ofindependently flexible or crushable compression members or walls 156 ato 156 t integrally attached to and extending between the top wall 152and the bottom wall 154. In this embodiment, the bottom wall 154 islonger than the top wall to facilitate attachment of the coil restraintsto the trough as indicated above. In this embodiment, the bottom wall154 is also wider than the top wall 152 to facilitate attachment of thecoil restraints to the trough. More specifically, the respective bottomwalls of the multiple coil restraints of this embodiment are placedabutting or directly adjacent to each other so that the installer doesnot have to worry about spacing apart or measuring the spacing of thecoil restraints. For example, in this embodiment, the installer canattach a coil restraint at the center of one of the walls of the troughand install the rest of the coil restraints each butting up against apreviously installed coil restraint (i.e., toward each side wall). Thiswider and longer size of the bottom wall (which forms outwardlyextending lips) also facilitates easier installation with an air poweredscrew gun or other suitable device.

It should thus be appreciated that size, shape and configuration of thiscoil restraint of the coil restraint system and it components may varyin accordance with the present disclosure. It should also be appreciatedthat the number of compression members may vary. It should also beappreciated that multiple compression members may be configured tofunction together rather than independently.

FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate a shorter version of the coil restraint ofFIGS. 4 to 7 of the coil restraint system of the present disclosure.This shorter version is generally indicated by numeral 160. The coilrestraint 160 includes an elongated top wall 162, an elongated bottomwall 164, and a plurality of independently flexible or crushablecompression members or walls 166 a to 166 h integrally attached to andextending between the top wall 162 and the bottom wall 164. In thisembodiment, the bottom wall 164 is longer than the top wall 162 tofacilitate attachment of the coil restraints to the trough as describedabove. This shorter embodiment is approximately 10 inches long (asopposed to the 20 inch length of the coil restraint 100 of FIGS. 4 to8E). This shorter length allows the coil restraint to be easily extrudedinstead of being compression molded. This reduces the overall cost ofmanufacture. It should be appreciated that this shorter embodiment canbe attached or aligned in pairs to create the same functionality in thetrough as one of the longer coil restraints described above. FIG. 12illustrates a plurality of the coil restraints 160 positioned in atrough 22 of a transverse railroad car 20 prior to a steel coil beingpositioned in the trough. This shows multiple pairs of aligned coilrestraints 160 respectively replacing the longer coil restraints of theembodiments of FIGS. 4 to 8E. It should be appreciated that the coilsrestraints of each respectively aligned pair of coil restraints 160 canbe positioned closer to each other than as shown in FIG. 12.

FIG. 13 illustrates the coil restraint of an alternative embodiment ofthe coil restraint system of the present disclosure, generally indicatedby numeral 170. The coil restraint 170 includes a plurality of elongatedtop walls 172 a, 172 b, 172 c, 172 d, 172 e, and 172 f, an elongatedbottom wall 174, and a plurality of sets of independently flexible orcrushable compression members or walls 176 a to 176 h integrallyattached to and extending respectively between the top walls 172 a, 172b, 172 c, 172 d, 172 e, and 172 f, and the bottom wall 174. In thisembodiment, the bottom wall 174 is longer than each of the top walls 172a, 172 b, 172 c, 172 d, 172 e, and 172 f to facilitate attachment of thecoil restraint to the trough as described above. This embodiment isapproximately 10 inches long which enables the coil restraint to beeasily extruded. In one embodiment, this coil restraint is extruded withthe top wall as a single wall and with the compression members from eachtop wall to the bottom wall connected. This construction is generallyillustrated in FIG. 14. The top wall and compression members are thencut to form the separate or individual top walls and compressionmembers. It should be appreciated that the bottom wall 174 is not cutafter the extrusion process to manufacture the embodiment of FIG. 13. Itshould further be appreciated that the bottom wall 174 can be cut afterthe extrusion process to make the embodiment of FIG. 10. These variousembodiments illustrate various methods of reducing the overall cost ofmanufacture of various embodiments of the coil restraint system of thepresent disclosure.

As further discussed below in relation to FIGS. 24, 25, and 26, itshould also be appreciated that it is possible to use the embodiment ofFIG. 14, generally indicated by numeral 180 as the coil restraint of thepresent disclosure (i.e., without cutting the top wall 182 andcompression members). In this embodiment, the heavy coil would compresspart of the top wall and the compression members under that part of thetop wall. The non-compressed portions of the top wall and non-compressedcompression members thereunder would co-act to engage the side of thecoil to prevent sideways movement of the coil.

It should thus be appreciated that the sizes, shapes and configurationof the coil restraints may vary in accordance with the presentdisclosure. It should be appreciated that the sizes and shapes of thecompression members may vary in accordance with the present disclosure.It should be appreciated that a support plate (not shown) may beemployed to support the coil restraints. In such embodiments, the bottomwalls are suitably attached to the support plates.

FIGS. 15 to 20 illustrate a substantially varied alternative embodimentof a coil restraint of an alternative coil restraint system of thepresent disclosure, and which is generally indicated by numeral 200.This coil restraint is configured to operate with similar coilrestraints in a coil restraint system. In one embodiment, the coilrestraint 200 includes a top wall 202 which defines a plurality ofspaced-apart apertures, a bottom wall 204, and a plurality ofcompression assemblies 206 a to 206 s each respectively having one ofthe biased compression members or pins 208 a to 208 s. The top wall inthis embodiment may be an additional board or may actually be one of thewooden boards of the existing trough. In either situation, the board 200is formed with suitable apertures (or suitable apertures are formed inthe board) for the compression members 208 a to 208 s to extend through.This embodiment can thus work with the existing boards in the trough. Itshould be appreciated that this embodiment may also requirereconfiguration of the plates underlying or supporting the wooden boardsin the trough.

More specifically, as best illustrated in FIGS. 17, 18, 19, and 20, eachcompression assembly includes a compression base 210 suitably attachedto the bottom wall 204 and which defines a compression pocket 212, acompression member such as a compression pin 208, and a biasing membersuch as a suitable spring (not shown) positioned in the compressionpocket 212 between the compression base 210 and a bottom section of thecompression member 208. The compression spring is positioned to bias thecompression member 208 toward the extended or non-compressed position asshown in FIGS. 15 and 19. Each compression member or pin extends throughone of the apertures of the top wall or wooden board 202. In theillustrated embodiment, the bottom wall 204 and the compression memberor pin 208 are configured to maintain the compression member or pin 208in the compression compartment or pocket 212. When a coil such as asteel coil engages the compression member or pin, the compression memberor pin moves against the bias of the spring or other biasing member intothe pocket as generally shown in FIGS. 16 and 20.

In various embodiments, to form the coil restraint system, a pluralityof coil restraints 200 are mounted in a trough of a transverse coil car.In one embodiment, the coil restraints 200 are mounted horizontally ortransversely along the boards of the trough. The coil restraints 200 arespaced apart at suitable distances. The coil restraints 200 are spacedapart approximately every 6 inches in one embodiment of the coilrestraint system. The coil restraints 200 are offset from each other inone embodiment to provide maximum coverage of the trough. It should beappreciated that the coil restraints 200 may be placed at any suitabledistances from each other and in any suitable positions. All of thecompression members or pins of the coil restraints will be in extendedor non-compressed positioned when no coil is positioned in the trough.When a coil is positioned in the trough, the coil will compress many ofthe compression member or pins of each of the coil restraints and notcompress certain of the compression member or pins of coil restraints.The non-compressed compression members or pins directly adjacent to therespective sides of the coil prevent the transverse movement of the coilin the trough.

It should be appreciated that for different coils such as different sizeand different shape steel coils will compress different compressionmembers or pins of the coil restraints and the compression members orpins of the coil restraints that are not compressed and adjacent to thesides of the steel coil will be the compression members or pins thatprevent sideways shifting of the steel coils. It should also beappreciated that for steel coils placed in different locations in thetrough, the steel coils will compress different compression members orpins of the coil restraints and the compression members or pins that arenot compressed and adjacent to the sides of the steel coil will be thecompression members or pins that prevent sideways shifting of the steelcoils. It should thus be appreciated that the coil restraint system ofthe embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 15 to 20 are configured to engagethe sides of different size and differently positioned coils in thetrough of transverse coil car to prevent the transverse shifting ofcoils.

FIG. 21 illustrates another alternative embodiment of the coil restraintof the coil restraint system of the present disclosure, and which isgenerally indicated by numeral 250. This coil restraint 250 is similarto the coil restraint 200, but includes two rows 255 a and 255 b eachhaving a plurality of compression assemblies each respectively having abiased compression member or pin. Thus, it should be appreciated thatthe positioning and spacing of the compression members or pins may vary.This embodiment also illustrates that the compression members or pinsmay be independently depressed (since some of the compression membersare shown fully extended and some are shown partially depressed). Itshould also be appreciated that in this embodiment each spring (notshown) in mounted on a boss and may not be positioned in a separatechamber. It should also be appreciated that this embodiment shows thatthe bottom wall can be alternatively configured in accordance with thepresent disclosure. It should also be appreciated that the compressionmembers or pins may be any suitable sizes and particularly any suitableheights. In certain embodiments, the compression members or pins are anywhere from approximately 2 inches to approximately 5 inches. Thecompression members or pins may also be of any suitable diameter and maybe other suitable slopes.

FIGS. 22 to 23 illustrate an alternative configuration of the coilrestraint of the coil restraint system of the present disclosure, andwhich is generally indicated by numeral 300. This coil restraint issimilar to the coil restraint 200, and includes the plurality ofcompression assemblies 306 a to 306 s (not all shown) each directlyattached to the bottom wall 302 which defines a plurality ofspaced-apart apertures. The compression assemblies each respectivelyhave one of the biased compression members or pins 308 a to 308 s. Thisembodiment does not include a top wall even though it could be used tobe mounted in the boards which can act as a top wall if desired by theinstaller. It should thus be appreciated that the embodimentsillustrated in FIGS. 15 to 23 are configured to be at least partiallymounted in the boards of the troughs. It should also be appreciated thatother suitable configurations are within the scope of the presentdisclosure.

It should be appreciated that the coil restraints 200, 250, and 300 andeach of the components thereof may be made of any suitable strongmaterial such as a suitable metal, plastic, ceramic or compositematerial and assembled in any suitable manner.

It should further be appreciated that: (a) the number of compressionmembers, (b) the size of one or more of the compression members, (c) theshape of one or more of the compression members, (d) the angles at whichone or more of the compression members extend, and (e) the material ofone or more of the compression members may vary in accordance with thepresent disclosure. It should also be appreciated that the shape,configuration, size, angles, quantities, and materials of the bottom andtop walls may also vary in accordance with the compression members andthe present disclosure.

It should also be appreciated that after being installed, the coilrestraints work automatically without the need for a person to go intothe trough during the loading process or when the coil is in the trough.This avoids injury to the loaders. It should also be appreciated thatafter installed, the coil restraints do not need to be changed aftereach steel coil is removed from the trough. This avoids the need forblocking (as described above) and unwanted dunnage (as described above).It should also be appreciated that after installed, the coil restraintswork even when the steel coils are wrapped in or covered by heavymaterial such as cardboard sheeting.

FIGS. 24 to 26 illustrate an alternative configuration of the coilrestraint of the coil restraint system of the present disclosure, andwhich is generally indicated by numeral 400. This configuration is afurther widened or elongated version of the coil restraint 180 of FIG.14. More specifically, the coil restraint 400 includes an elongatedcontinuous top wall 472, an elongated continuous bottom wall 474, and aplurality of spaced apart independently flexible or crushablecompression members or walls 476 a to 476 h integrally attached to andextending respectively between the top wall 472 and the bottom wall 474.In this illustrated embodiment, the bottom wall 474 is longer than thetop wall 472 to facilitate attachment of the coil restraint to thetrough. This embodiment is approximately ten inches long andapproximately one hundred eight inches wide which enables this coilrestraint to be easily extruded. This coil restraint 400 is extrudedwith each of the top and bottom walls as a single or continuous wall andwith the compression members extending between the top wall to thebottom wall. It should be appreciated that one or more interruptions orcuts can be made in the top or bottom wall as generally describedherein.

FIGS. 25 and 26 generally shows one mounting configuration for aplurality of coil restraints 400 mounted in a trough 22 of a transversecoil car 20 and how each of the coil restraints which are part of a coilrestraint system work together to secure a coil in a trough. The coilrestraints 400 of the coil restraint system are mounted along the length(from front to back) of the trough. Each coil restraint 400 extends theentire or substantially the entire transverse width of the trough 22. Inthis illustrated embodiment, two coil restraints are mounted to each ofthe front and back walls of the trough (or the wooden boards of thetrough). The bottom walls of the coil restraints are mounted adjacent toeach other in this illustrated configuration, although it should beappreciated that they may be spaced apart from each other. FIGS. 24, 25,and 26 also illustrate retainers or retainer bars 480 which are used toattach the coil restraints to the front and back walls (or woodenboards) of the trough. Suitable fasteners are used to attach eachretainer or retainer bar to the coil restraint and to the boards of thetrough. It should be appreciated that other suitable retainers andfasteners may be employed. It should also be appreciated that the coilrestraints may be spaced differently than shown on each or both of thefront and back walls.

FIGS. 25 and 26 show all of the coil restraints in extended ornon-compressed positions because no coil is positioned in the trough 22.When a coil is positioned in the trough 22, depending on the size of thecoil one or both of the coil restraints of the coil restraint system oneach of the front and back walls of the trough will be compressed by thecoil. Certain portions of each of the coil restraints on either side ofthe coil will not be compressed. When the coil is in the trough 22, thenon-compressed portions of the coil restraints directly adjacent to therespective sides of the coil are configured to engage the sides of thecoil to prevent the sideways shifting of the coil in the trough. Morespecifically, in this embodiment, the heavy coil would compress part ofthe top wall and the compression members under that part of the topwall. On both sides of the coil, the non-compressed portions of the topwall and non-compressed compression members there under would co-act toengage the respective sides of the coil to prevent sideways movement ofthe coil.

As in the above embodiments, it should be appreciated that for coils ofdifferent sizes (and practically different widths), the different sizecoils will compress different portions of the coil restraints and theportions of the coil restraints that are not compressed and adjacent tothe sides of the coil will be the portions of the coil restraints thatprevent sideways shifting of the coils. For example, depending on theshape of the trough, a coil having a relatively small diameter may onlyengage the lower coil restraints on each wall in the trough, a coilhaving a relatively intermediate diameter may engage the lower and uppercoil restraints on each wall in the trough, and a coil having arelatively large diameter may only engage the upper coil restraints oneach wall in the trough. It should also be appreciated that for coilsplaced in different locations in the trough, the coils will compressdifferent portions of the coil restraints of the coil restraint system,and the portions of the coil restraints that are not compressed andadjacent to the sides of the coil will be the portions of the coilrestraints that prevent sideways shifting of the coils. It should thusbe appreciated that the coil restraint system of the embodimentillustrated in FIGS. 24, 25 and 26 is configured to engage the sides ofdifferent size and differently positioned coils in the troughs oftransverse coil cars to prevent the sideways shifting of the coils.

It should be understood that various changes and modifications to thepresently preferred embodiments described herein will be apparent tothose skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications can be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present subjectmatter and without diminishing its intended advantages. It is thereforeintended that such changes and modifications be covered by the appendedclaims.

1. A railroad car coil restraint system for a transverse railroad coil car having at least one trough, each said trough including a front wall and a back wall and configured to hold a coil, said railroad car coil restraint system comprising: a plurality of coil restraints, each coil restraint having: (a) a bottom wall configured to be attached to one of the front and back walls of one of the troughs, (b) a top wall, and (c) a plurality of spaced-apart independently flexible compression members attached to and extending between the bottom wall and the top wall, said coil restraints configured to be mounted in one of the troughs such that: (i) when the coil is positioned in said trough, the coil compresses certain portions of said coil restraints and does not compress other portions of said coil restraints, and (ii) certain of said other portions of the coil restraints are configured to prevent sideways shifting of the coil by engaging sides of the coil.
 2. The railroad car coil restraint system of claim 1, wherein the coil restraints are each made of a rubber.
 3. The railroad car coil restraint system of claim 1, wherein the coil restraints are each made of an extruded rubber.
 4. The railroad car coil restraint system of claim 1, wherein the coil restraints are configured to be mounted substantially across an entire length of said trough.
 5. The railroad car coil restraint system of claim 1, wherein two of the coil restraints are configured to be mounted on the front wall of said trough and two of the coil restraints are configured to be mounted on the back wall of said trough.
 6. The railroad car coil restraint system of claim 5, wherein the coil restraints are configured to be mounted on each of the front wall and the back wall in spaced apart relation to each other.
 7. The railroad car coil restraint system of claim 5, where said coil restraints mounted each of the front wall of said trough and the back wall of said trough directly adjacent to each other.
 8. The railroad car coil restraint system of claim 1, which includes a plurality of retainers configured to facilitate attachment of the coil restraints to the front wall and the back wall of said trough.
 9. The railroad car coil restraint system of claim 1, wherein the top wall of each coil restraint is continuous.
 10. The railroad car coil restraint system of claim 1, wherein the bottom wall of each coil restraint is continuous.
 11. The railroad car coil restraint system of claim 1, wherein the bottom wall of each coil restraint is longer than the top wall.
 12. A railroad car coil restraint for a transverse railroad coil car having at least one trough, each said trough including a front wall and a back wall and configured to hold a coil, said railroad car coil restraint comprising: (a) an elongated bottom wall configured to be attached to one of the front wall and back wall of one of the troughs; (b) an elongated top wall spaced apart from the bottom wall; and (c) a plurality of elongated spaced-apart independently flexible compression members attached to and extending between the bottom wall and the top wall.
 13. The railroad car coil restraint of claim 12, which is made of a rubber.
 14. The railroad car coil restraint of claim 12, which is made of an extruded rubber.
 15. The railroad car coil restraint of claim 12, which is configured to be mounted substantially across an entire length of said trough.
 16. The railroad car coil restraint of claim 12, wherein the top wall is continuous.
 17. The railroad car coil restraint of claim 12, wherein the bottom wall is continuous.
 18. The railroad car coil restraint of claim 12, wherein the bottom wall is longer than the top wall.
 19. A railroad car coil restraint for a transverse railroad coil car having at least one trough, each said trough including a front wall and a back wall and configured to hold a coil, said railroad car coil restraint comprising: (a) an elongated continuous rubber bottom wall configured to be attached to one of the front wall and back wall of one of the troughs; (b) an elongated continuous rubber top wall spaced apart from the bottom wall, said top wall being shorter than said bottom wall; and (c) a plurality of elongated spaced-apart independently flexible rubber compression members attached to and extending between the bottom wall and the top wall, said bottom wall, top wall and compression members configured to be mounted substantially across an entire length of said trough. 